“He
that wins souls is wise” (Prov 11:30; KJV). “I say unto you, that likewise joy
shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine
just persons, who need no repentance (Luke 15:7; KJV).
If
heaven gets that excited about soul wining then we should to. Sometimes we can
get very intimidated by the thought of sharing our beliefs with others. Well,
start small and work up, this can make it easier and once you’ve started you
will get excited about it. Challenge yourself to do something to witness each
day and as you do, it gets easier. “Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt
5:16). First of all, let your light shine. Make sure the life of Jesus on the
inside of you shines out in all you do and say; smile real big. “Put on charity”,
as we read in Colossians 3:14. Leave tracts in restaurants, at checkouts and
with people you come across. Let your speech be full of grace and seasoned with
salt (Col 4:6). Take every opportunity you have to share why you are the way
you are; to share about what God has done for you.
God
says we should walk in wisdom toward non-Christians and redeem the time (Col
4:5). In other words, look for opportunities to share Jesus with people. Don’t
worry, God will give you the words to say (Matt 10 :19). Get excited about
sharing: “Do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Col 3:23). This verse
means we should take our eyes off our worries and shyness and witness for and
in obedience to God and he will bless us and the outcomes. Go fishing today (Mark
1:17).
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Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our
book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and
also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to
others.
“Know
ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the
old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ,
our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor 5:6-7; KJV). Leaven or yeast is used
here to compare the power of sin with leaven. We have been justified or made
righteous in God’s sight, by the sacrifice of Christ at the cross; he redeemed
us or paid the price for our sins (Rom 3:24).
But
we do still sin (1 John 1:8)? Just a
tiny bit of sin, if it is not rooted out, can cause a huge amount of damage to
us and others. A woman added leaven to 3 measures of meal and the whole of the
meal became leavened or affected by the yeast (Luke 13:21). Jean makes our
bread at home and we calculated that she adds 1 part of yeast for every 320
parts of finished baked bread; that yeast is powerful stuff to be able to cause
that whole loaf to rise. Jesus warned of the leaven of the Pharisees which is
hypocrisy; they taught the law but did not obey it (Luke 12:1). They leavened
the whole of Israel with their sin. As children of God, sin damages our
fellowship with him as there is no sin in God (1 John 1:5). Sin clogs the
channels between us and God. Sin also hurts our relationships with each other.
Ask
God to show you sin in your life, be quick to repent and ask God’s forgiveness
for your sins; he will forgive (1 John 1:9). As we deal with sin in our lives,
we can walk closer and closer with God and enjoy more and more of the full life
he lives. Don’t get condemned, this is something we all have to grow in; but
the results are wonderful. Remember God loves you where you are but he calls
you up higher to grow in him.
Please
pass this on. All rights reserved.
Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our
book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and
also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to
others.
The
other day I was reading in the eighth Psalm and verse 5, where king David wrote
about man, that God has: “crowned him with glory and honour” (KJV). Well none
of us are earthly kings or queens so it’s nice to think that we can still wear
a crown. However, I got thinking about CROWNS and realized that the Bible
actually contains a lot of verses about crowns.
King
Solomon taught about wisdom that she will give us a: “crown of glory” (Prov 4:9).
In Psalms it is recorded that the Lord: “crowneth the with lovingkindness and
tender mercies” (Ps 103:4). Wow, crowns of glory, honor, beauty, loving
kindness and tender mercies.
Let’s
take a look in the new Testament. If we love God and stand up under tests, trials
and temptations we will receive: “the crown of life” (James 1:12). The apostle
Peter, in addressing leaders in the church, promised them an eternal reward: “the
crown of glory that will not fade away” (1 Peter 5:4). God has saved a crown of
righteousness for Paul and all of us as Christians that we will receive at the
second coming of Jesus or when we meet him at our physical death (2 Tim 4:8). If
we live for Christ and endure the pressures and sufferings of this life, we will
reign with Jesus in the life to come (2 Timothy 2:12).
Praise
God. I don’t know about you but that sounds better to me than having a worldly king
or queen’s crown.
Please
pass on. All rights reserved.
P.U.S.H
until something happens. I saw this on a sweat shirt and liked it. This doesn’t
mean we have to keep asking God for the same thing over and over again. Once we
have asked, we stand in faith, believing, praising and thanking God for what we
have asked for until we see the victory in the natural with our eyes.
“Therefore
I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24; KJV). What this mean is that when we
pray, we must believe that we have received the answer to our prayer, even
though the actual manifestation in the physical realm may not appear immediately
but may take some time. However, in the interim, we must stand and maintain our
faith because: “faith and patience inherit the promise” (Heb 6:12).
As
I was thinking about this it reminded me of the story of the paralyzed man and
his 4 friends who wanted to bring him to Jesus so he could get healed (Mark
2:3-12). As you know, they couldn’t get into the house where Jesus was teaching
because of the crowds but they were determined and full of faith. They let their
paralyzed friend down through the roof. The apostle Mark wrote (Mark 2:4): “so
when they had BROKEN THROUGH, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay”.
They had to work hard to break through the roof, and they weren’t about to give
up till they got him to Jesus.
The
woman with the issue of blood, described in the gospel of Luke the physician, (Luke
8:43-48) pushed through a huge crowd to get to Jesus; driven by her faith. In
her condition she would have been regarded as unclean and could have been
stoned for being out amongst people with a bleeding condition.
How
determined are we as Christians to seek Jesus, or pray and believe till we get
results? Again, in Luke’s gospel, (Luke 11:10) we read: “For every one that
asketh receiveth”. I encourage you to be persistent and don’t give up but pray
in faith until something happens, until the expected result manifests.
Please
pass this on. All rights reserved.
Check out our web site ( www.onthewayinlove.com ) for information on our
book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”, including how to purchase it and
also to see more encouraging Bible based blogs. Please recommend our book to
others.
“Whether
therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1
Cor 10:31; KJV). “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not
unto men” (Col 3:23).
It’s
easy to separate our spiritual life from our daily activities but really if we
are walking in the spirit the two are intertwined. We don’t have to be in
church to be led by the Spirit. According to these verses everything we do
should be done as an offering to the Lord whether its washing dishes, closing a
business deal or singing in the choir.
The
apostle Paul exhorted us not to follow the ways of the world around us but to
renew our thinking with God’s word so that our lives glorify God (Rom 12:2). As
Christians we should be setting an example to the world in the workplace, with
our families and in everything we do. Are we on time at work and church? Do we
go the extra mile, do our lives breath integrity? Do our lifestyles and our
children bring glory to God? Are we known for love in action?
“Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven” (Matt 5:16). If we approach our day to day tasks as
something done for God it won’t go unnoticed.
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